Homely planet

Green design is a hot topic, and small-scale architecture is blazing the trail – think ornamental follies and miniature poolside pavilions.

The designer and engineer Tom Chudleigh masterminded the smooth joins and curves of the bauble-like spherical tree house in a forest on Vancouver Island, Canada, wanting to show ways to inhabit but preserve the forest, which is badly affected by logging. It is 2.8 metres wide and houses a double bed, sofa and table – perfect for nights among the tree tops.

“You can see architects’ most experimental and interesting ideas in small-scale projects, as they don’t have huge budgets stressing them out,” says Phyllis Richardson. Her new book, XS Green (Thames & Hudson £14.95), celebrates eco-friendly micro-design around the world, from sleek private dining pavilions to a capsule-like yellow pigeon loft in northwest France.

Modern-day follies are certainly sleeker than their 19th-century counterparts, and product designers are getting in on the act. “Designers of yachts, cars and aircraft are accustomed to using every last centimetre,” says Jim McClelland, editor of Sustain magazine. Paul Priestman is a prime example: he creates lavish interiors for private jets (P Diddy is among his clientele) and also worked on the design of Yo! Sushi’s Yotel, a capsule-roomed hotel inspired by first-class aircraft cabins, which has just opened at Gatwick’s South Terminal.

With the future of the planet riding on new ideas, it seems downright selfish not to commission an eco-fabulous folly of your own.

Fresh and wild

Designers tend to bypass humour when it comes to gardening accessories, which is why I love the brothers Chris and Andy Vernall’s sense of fun. Their first Vitamin Living collection includes a plant pot with a working medical-style drip for owners too busy to remember to water plants (or as the perfect tactless gift for a mate in hospital) and ceramic urban gnomes a world away from the tacky resin whatnots. “A lot of people don’t have huge gardens, and we wanted to make pieces relevant to modern lifestyles,” says Andy. Their new indoor collection also includes menacing-looking hoodie salt and pepper pots. It’s all the right stuff for a cool wedding gift.

IV plant pot, £159.50; urban gnome, £49.50; salt and pepper pots, £22 each; all from www.vitaminliving.com; 020 7092 9191

Let’s go outside

1 Retro signage is in keeping with the current nostalgic appeal of Brit seaside towns. Buy old-fashioned metal ice-cream signs for the kitchen window or arrows pointing to the pool (even if it’s just a figment of your imagination). From £7 each; www.gardentrading.co.uk.

2 Don’t like getting your hands dirty, but fancy the idea of an organic kitchen garden? Pocket Garden’s container pouches offer all the fun of sprouting green things without putting your manicure at risk. The range includes Indian lemon grass, wild strawberries and even gerberas. From £4.95 each; www.thepocketgarden.com.

3 When you’re deadheading daisies, there’s no excuse for not making it a glam affair. FlowerPower’s bloom-print secateurs scream “garden goddess” and are a snip at £10; www.fabulicious.com.

4 The four-bottle-holder is similar to the kind milkmen used to use but is sized up for wine bottles. Essential for spillage-free picnics. £22, from Garden Trading, as before.

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